Black Widow has reportedly received a PG-13 rating for intense violence. Natasha Romanoff's first solo outing has faced a slew of delays since it was initially expected to release in May 2020. Black Widow was moved to Eternals' November 2020 release date before landing on a May 2021 release. It seemed like the film might hit that mark before Disney announced that Black Widow would be hitting Disney+ and theaters on July 9, pushing back Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings into September.

Black Widow finds itself in a unique position. When it hits theaters, it will be the first MCU theatrical release in over two years after Spider-Man: Far From Home was released in July 2020. The film will also serve as a prequel, exploring the time before Avengers: Infinity War. How much information it will give as to the future of the MCU remains unclear, but with rumors that Florence Pugh's character, Yelena Belova, is set to appear in a few Disney+ Marvel series, there is a clear through-line between this film and future Marvel projects.

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How much that matters remains to be seen, but when Black Widow is finally released it will bring a new level of action to the MCU. Exhibitor Relations Co. reports that Black Widow has received a PG-13 rating for intense violence and action, language, and thematic material.

The characters in Black Widow may be short on superpowers, but they know how to fight and it sounds like the movie won't be holding back. After Sharon Carter's brutal fight in Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode three, the levels of violence in the MCU have clearly been raised and Black Widow may be looking to do the same. This violence could bleed into other projects, including Hawkeye, one of the series Yelena Belova is expected to appear in and this could also serve to drum up excitement for the film.

Worries that Black Widow's delays could make the film stale to MCU fans were pervasive every time the film was pushed back, but they ultimately seem unfounded. Not only did Black Widow's new trailer exceed views on WandaVision and Loki's first looks, but the box office projections for the film more than tripled when the film was moved to July. This may be partly because of the fact that more theaters will be open when Black Widow rolls around, but it also shows that, despite fears, the MCU's next project is still a highly anticipated affair.

More: Black Widow's Trailer Proves It Isn't Releasing Too Late

Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.